Sedimentology and Geochemistry of Modern Sediments in the Kingston Basin of Lake Ontario

Abstract

Accumulation of Recent fine sediment is limited to deep water areas in the Kingston basin and thicknesses of more than 50 cm are found only in the St. Lawrence trough; elsewhere, sands and silty sands are largely composed of reworked material. Local sources provide little input of fine sediment to the Kingston basin. Statistical relationships derived from geochemical analyses indicate several forms of association between heavy metals and organic carbon, sulphides, clays, hydrous Fe and Mn oxides, and carbonates. A comparison between Kingston and Niagara sediments shows that the combined effects of riverine and lacustrine erosion have resulted in a generally greater content of carbonates in the Niagara sediments. The content of Fe (which is partly influenced by redox potential) is highest, however, in sediment of the Kingston basin, where higher P values are also associated with an increased clay content. Differences in the concentrations of heavy metals in Lake Ontario, except for Hg, Co, Cu, and Zn, are largely explained by variations in silt and clay contents. Contaminant loadings from the Niagara River are largely responsible for the anomalously high concentrations of Hg and, to a lesser extent, Cu and Zn. Cobalt occurs at higher concentrations in the sediments of eastern Lake Ontario, where its presence is thought to reflect glacial dispersal patterns.